I am bummed about the Pencil not being out. My store didn't have the keyboard either, but they did have a demo unit I was able to play with for a couple of minutes. I wound up buying the Logitech keyboard cover, which was in stock. I'm still on the fence about it, because it's pretty bulky and heavy. But the keyboard is awesome!

Got mine today. The multi-tasking is excellent...no doubt. On this big screen, it's magical. Like others...bummed that the pen and/or keyboard are lagging behind the Pro release. I tried both out in the store while waiting for my pick up as well. They are both excellent accessories. Loved the feel of the keyboard keys and the pen experience was excellent. Made me even more sad to know that I have to wait to get my hands on these accessories.

Got mine today. The multi-tasking is excellent...no doubt. On this big screen, it's magical. Like others...bummed that the pen and/or keyboard are lagging behind the Pro release. I tried both out in the store while waiting for my pick up as well. They are both excellent accessories. Loved the feel of the keyboard keys and the pen experience was excellent. Made me even more sad to know that I have to wait to get my hands on these accessories.

Thanks for sharing your impressions of the accessories; no doubt, this is a let-down considering most of us where hoping to get the whole "shebang". Even Apple's own online store advises of 3-4 weeks of wait time. On a separate note, congrats on getting one yourself and being able to enjoy it so soon!

Got mine today. The multi-tasking is excellent...no doubt. On this big screen, it's magical. Like others...bummed that the pen and/or keyboard are lagging behind the Pro release. I tried both out in the store while waiting for my pick up as well. They are both excellent accessories. Loved the feel of the keyboard keys and the pen experience was excellent. Made me even more sad to know that I have to wait to get my hands on these accessories.

Thanks for the post - I'm going LTE via t-mobile jump from an Air 2. I guess I'm in the minority though - the onscreen keyboard is excellent - I certainly won't need the keyboard or the pen (your finger still is the best accessory) unless you're an artist, graphics designer, etc.

The onscreen keyboard is a beast....(Credit to Appleinsider for the picture & paragraph)

The full array of virtual keys, essentially matching what users would find on a standard physical keyboard, can be accessed in both portrait and landscape modes when typing on the iPad Pro.

The include the ability to tap (or temporarily hold) shift while pressing a number key to input the symbol located above it. Keys for plus, minus, equals, dash, backslash, brackets, colon, semicolon, apostrophe and more can be found on the expanded virtual keyboard.

Apple also prevents accidental pressing of the new caps lock button by requiring that users hold their finger down on it for a short period. Simply tapping the caps lock button will not enable it.

Thanks for the post - I'm going LTE via t-mobile jump from an Air 2. I guess I'm in the minority though - the onscreen keyboard is excellent - I certainly won't need the keyboard or the pen (your finger still is the best accessory) unless you're an artist, graphics designer, etc.

I'm definitely not an artist either...though I'm incredibly skilled at drawing stick people! My use of the pen will be primarily for taking notes / mark-up during business meetings. Probably a little photo editing as well.

The onscreen keyboard is a beast....(Credit to Appleinsider for the picture & paragraph)

The full array of virtual keys, essentially matching what users would find on a standard physical keyboard, can be accessed in both portrait and landscape modes when typing on the iPad Pro.

The include the ability to tap (or temporarily hold) shift while pressing a number key to input the symbol located above it. Keys for plus, minus, equals, dash, backslash, brackets, colon, semicolon, apostrophe and more can be found on the expanded virtual keyboard.

Apple also prevents accidental pressing of the new caps lock button by requiring that users hold their finger down on it for a short period. Simply tapping the caps lock button will not enable it.

Thanks for this informative update, mate. It's now becoming clear that all of those claims about this iPad being nothing more than a bigger... iPad are not well founded. I think most of the critics have assumed that the software will remain the same. Clearly, this is a fork to the standard iPad OS build making it specifically tailored for this beautiful machine. I am sure there are other tweaks like that that will substantially reduce the onscreen keyboard barrier.

Based on the posts here, it sounds like many of you plan to get the pencil. Mind if I ask why? I see its usefulness for drawing, designing, etc., but I don't do those things and so I can't imagine how I'd use it.

I have the same problem. Whilst I was able to reserve my iPad Pro for store pick up yesterday, neither the smart keyboard, the smart cover nor the Apple Pencil are available - the latter being dispensable for the time being, but no sort of cover...
Also the local Best Buy Store had no cover available; given that we just have one in town, I am contemplating to cancel my order since I have had no chance to pick it up and reorder later. It sounds a bit strange to me that given both the pencil and the smart keyboard featured so dominantly in the advertisement and the keynote that there is a backlog. Whoever is in charge should have known that those items are in demand. Bad planning or problems in manufacturing?

Based on the posts here, it sounds like many of you plan to get the pencil. Mind if I ask why? I see its usefulness for drawing, designing, etc., but I don't do those things and so I can't imagine how I'd use it.

Hi,

Precisely for the reasons you have listed. To me, Paper + the Apple Pencil will be an irresistible combo.

Am I the only one here that finds it completely unimpressive? Will wait for delivery of the pencil before my mind is made up but honestly for the average user this thing is next to useless. Yeah great it has stereo speakers?! Apple is going to have to do much better than this. I suppose I was expecting it to change the world again, I was expecting it to redefine the iPad experience and it doesn't in any way shape or form.

Am I the only one here that finds it completely unimpressive? Will wait for delivery of the pencil before my mind is made up but honestly for the average user this thing is next to useless. Yeah great it has stereo speakers?! Apple is going to have to do much better than this. I suppose I was expecting it to change the world again, I was expecting it to redefine the iPad experience and it doesn't in any way shape or form.

Are you serious or just looking to spark debate?

It would be helpful if you listed a few things you need it to do, what iPad you have now (if any) or just which field or study you're in... maybe this forum can point out a few things for you.

Based on the posts here, it sounds like many of you plan to get the pencil. Mind if I ask why? I see its usefulness for drawing, designing, etc., but I don't do those things and so I can't imagine how I'd use it.

I can think of several use cases for the pencil outside of illustration. I am a business executive and spend quite a bit of time reviewing reports and sitting in meeting rooms talking about those reports. With the surface and specifically the pen, I spent a good deal of productive time annotating directly on the reports and also concurrently taking handwritten notes. I like to "feel" the words on the paper (or screen in this case) as it helps me to remember the content. I am also a student, so the ability to annotate / highlight important info within research documents is another use case for the pencil.

I suppose everyone will have different workflows, so the thought of writing on a screen with a "pencil" might not fit the bill for everyone.

I'd dare to say the iPad Pro is a "niche" product, but a profitable one at that. I don't Apple is expecting to shatter sales records, nor will it necessarily revive its iPad line-up as a whole BUT it'll be a nice shot in the arm for it. The iPad Pro user will be a mashup of professionals (ex. artists, business, sales, etc) who will use its bigger screen and stylus to their full extent AND the Apple or tech diehard who just has to have the latest and greatest.

That being said, Apple dropped the ball by not having the stylus and keyboard readily available. A large chunk of the iPad Pros hype revolves around those accessories.

I'd dare to say the iPad Pro is a "niche" product, but a profitable one at that. I don't Apple is expecting to shatter sales records, nor will it necessarily revive its iPad line-up as a whole BUT it'll be a nice shot in the arm for it. The iPad Pro user will be a mashup of professionals (ex. artists, business, sales, etc) who will use its bigger screen and stylus to their full extent AND the Apple or tech diehard who just has to have the latest and greatest.

That being said, Apple dropped the ball by not having the stylus and keyboard readily available. A large chunk of the iPad Pros hype revolves around those accessories.

Two points:

1. An excellent niche product;
2. They did drop the ball, no doubts about that;